Criticism comes as von der Leyen described himself “Geographical and Political Commission” it faces mounting demands, from trade tensions with Washington and Beijing to supporting Ukraine against Russia. His expanded role has also raised concerns in some capitals about the reach of the EU chief executive.
Monday’s proposals include moving more officials from the Commission’s Brussels headquarters to EU capitals to strengthen ties with the bloc’s 27 member states, speed up the development of a new generation of leaders ahead of an expected wave of retirements, and. preparing institutions to be “AI-ready,” according to the senior officer involved in the inspection.
The official, who did not want to be named to discuss the contents of the internal report, stressed that the proposals stopped short of abolishing any of the Commission’s 41 directors-general (DGs), policy departments of the EU’s top executives, or creating additional ones. It will also not recommend reducing staff.
Instead, the focus was on ensuring that employees “are not in their own departments” and can collaborate more easily, the official said, as well as prioritizing work to make better use of available resources.
‘More and more’
The effort may still need more people. According to a second official, the Commission plans to hire 1,500 additional staff under the next seven-year EU budget, which will start in 2028, as well as another 1,000 roles in other EU institutions.
The first set of recommendations – laid out in a 400-page report compiled by senior officials from 15 departments – was presented to all 30,000 Commission employees during a regular meeting on Monday.
